However, Savard is not likely to retire officially. Savard is signed through 2016-17, and is still due $21.05 million — a sum he would not collect if he announces his retirement.

“If Savvy retires, he would not be entitled to the benefits of the contract,’’ GM Peter Chiarelli wrote in an e-mail.

The more probable scenario would be for Savard to fail his preseason physical and be placed on long-term injured reserve each year. Savard would collect his salary via insurance, much like Alex Zhamnov drew his salary after the former Bruin broke his ankle in 2006. The Bruins would then be able to exceed the cap by Savard’s $4.007 annual number.

So there you have it. No one can blame Savard for wanting to get paid after all he’s lost to the game he loves. And at least for the duration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, he’s not hampering the Bruins in terms of the salary cap.

What Fluto fails to mention is the type of retirement. While its true if Savard retires he is not entitled to collect his salary, it is not true that if he is forced to retire because of his concussion (and a team of Doctors will have to come to that conclusion) the CBA ensures under section 23.4 page 107 http://www.nhl.com/cba/2005-CBA.pdf that he will be paid by either the team, or in this case insurance.

It’s misleading to say that if he retires he won’t collect without saying if he retires on Doctors orders that he will collect.